


Stories Keep Our Ghosts Alive

by Arewegroot



Series: Ironmanbingo prompt fills [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bird Watching, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Kinda, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-27 21:26:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19798087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arewegroot/pseuds/Arewegroot
Summary: Tony finally settled down with Pepper, had a beautiful daughter, and had all his toys in the garage. God, domesticity looked so good on him.His only minor complaint was the birds.akaBird Watching + Vick's Vapor Rub = Storytime for Morgan





	Stories Keep Our Ghosts Alive

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt #2: Bird Watching for Iron Man Bingo on tumblr

Tony grew up in New York and spent most of his adult life in sunny California. Even though Tony has spent the last decade in New York, but his heart still ached for the Southern Californian rays. Which is why he was left wondering why he built the cabin up north of New York.

Well no, Tony knew why. Even after everything that happened, after everything they've done, Tony couldn't leave the Avengers behind. Tony was retired, and he would rather swallow a flaming knife than act as an Avenger again, but the thought of going back to California's beaches and sunny days made panic climb up his throat. (Maybe it also had to do something with an empty apartment in Queens, and a storage unit holding belongs of the long dead. But Tony didn't like thinking about that possibility)

In all honesty, the cabin wasn't bad. It was perfect really, it was almost everything that Tony could ever really want. He finally settled down with Pepper, had a beautiful daughter, and had all his toys in the garage. God, domesticity looked so good on him.

Tony most certainly would have found this place incredibly dull 5 years ago, but now he found himself loving every tree that Morgan will undoubtedly try to climb when she's older. He loved the lake where he and Pepper will try to teach Morgan how to swim in next summer. He even loved all those stupid birds that would make a mess of his roof. 

(Okay, maybe he didn't love them that much.)

"Honey?" Tony called out as he came back out with two juice boxes and a box of cookies. It had only taken a couple of minutes, but it seemed that Morgan had left their little tea party and started to chase after the birds that liked to hang around. "Whatcha doing?"

"Bird watching!" Morgan replied as she ran towards a small flock of birds, causing the poor things to fly away. This was apparently Morgan's version of bird watching.

Tony couldn't help the chuckle that came up his throat. As Morgan continued to run Tony sat back down on the blanket they had set up for the tea party.

"Just be careful, Morgan. You don't want to spoke them too much or they'll—"And just like Tony had been trying to warn Morgan a spooked bird she got too close to panicked and flew right into Morgan's head before it caught its balance and flew away.

Morgan immediately started to cry, mostly from being scared than from being hurt. He felt a little bad but Tony couldn't help but laugh.

"Aww honey," Tony said, trying to stop his giggles. "Come here, let me see."

He opened up his arms, which Morgan ran towards crying her little heart out. Tony tried to make her feel better by rubbing Morgan's back in a soothing motion. He remembered when he was younger, his parents never tried to do what he's doing with Morgan. They never held him close as he cried.

"Aw you're okay baby," Tony said as he combed through Morgan's hair to check for any injuries. The only one he could find was a bump on her forehead.

"Am I going to die?" Morgan managed to ask through hiccupy sobs. Tony had to fight off a new round of giggles.

"No, you're not going to die," Tony said.

"How do you know?"

_"It's not funny!" A particular spider-themed superhero whined as his mentor rewatched him get hit by a pigeon mid-swing on the baby-monitor. "I could have died!"_

_Instead of replying, Tony just kept laughing as he walked over to one of the drawers he had in the lab and grabbed the bottle of Vick's vapor rub. The video replaying over and over again in the background._

_"I could have lost my grip and fallen," Peter argued. "I could have lost an eye!"_

_"Alright," Tony said. He took the seat next to Peter on the bench and gently rubbed some Vick's on to Peter's bump. The teen-only flinched once as Tony rubbed on the substance. "You're a little too dramatic, don't you think?"_

_"It really hurt," Peter pouted. "...and it was really embarrassing."_

_"You've been shot and stabbed dozens of times. I'm pretty sure you'll survive a hit from a tiny bird."_

_"It was a fat bird, Mr. Stark."_

"But Peter survived it," Tony said as he rubbed Vick's vapor rub on Morgan's bump. He had carried Morgan back into the cabin and all the way to their bathroom for the fix-all solution. "and you will too."

Tony closed up the little blue bottle before he picked up Morgan and held her close. Maybe he squeezed her a little closer than Tony really needed to.

"Did he cry?" Morgan asked, wrapping her arms around her dad. She knew her dad was starting to feel a little sad.

It wasn't often that her dad spoke about Peter. Tony would always look so sad whenever he did. Morgan didn't know much about Peter, but Morgan was her father's daughter, and she was curious by nature. So Morgan did her own research by looking up videos of Spider-Man on Youtube (she always had F.R.I.D.A.Y look them up for her), but Peter was a mystery. Whenever Tony would tell stories about him, Morgan made sure to listen.

"Like a baby," Tony said. Morgan didn't notice the little quiver in his voice.

They stayed there for a little while with Tony holding his little girl close until the silence was broken.

"Did he like bird watching?"

Tony couldn't help the breathless laugh that left him. "Yeah, honey. Peter liked bird watching."

"I think it would be fun to watch birds with him," Morgan asked.

"I think he would have loved that," Tony answered as he moved them over to the living room. "I bet he would have loved to go to your tea parties too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," Tony said, quickly trying to change the subject. He didn't want to cry in front of Morgan. If Morgan kept asking about Peter, Tony doesn't think he would be able to hold it together. "Who wants to watch Mulan?"

Morgan screamed a loud, happy, "meeee," and for the next hour and a half, Tony and his daughter happily sang along. Both of them very loudly and out of tune.


End file.
